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I thought I’d take a minute to go through one of the new races I made for my Spelljammer campaign. There are ten races, including humans and warforged; the other eight are all custom made races for the setting. The one I want to talk about now is the Rikoshi.

The Rikoshi vary widely in physical appearance, some even being able to change their coloration in response to emotional triggers. Rikoshi range from 5 1/2 feet to seven feet tall, and average toward the taller side of the spectrum. Their skin ranges from deep green to pale blue or purple and may even change hues according to the Rikoshi individual’s mood. It is not uncommon, also, for Rikoshi to exhibit unique patterns and markings. They are universally hairless, but some may have a crest of feathery scales on their head, back or neck. Others may have bony ridges, but all have fine small scales. Due to these scales, Rikoshi do shed their skin as they grow, but upon reaching maturity this no longer occurs as the Rikoshi no longer continue to grow.

Rikoshi are essentially biologically immortal, however, they often die before reaching maturity. Those that do reach maturity often die violently as their culture reveres warriors and honorable combat. Rikoshi reach physical maturity at roughly 25 years of age, at which time they often go out into the world to seek glory and breeding rights.

Rikoshi children are born in massive egg creche’s with other children from the same laying, often all share the same mother, but this is not necessarily the case. While in their egg creches many Rikoshi young fall victim to predation and simple bad luck. Entire populations have been lost due to bad weather striking the creche and it is not unheard of for local predators to find a hidden way in and kill several developing eggs before being found out. These events are simply considered a fact of living among the Rikoshi, however, once the eggs hatch and the child’s sex is determined the females have a vastly different lifestyle from the males. Female Rikoshi are exceedingly rare, it is not unheard of for hundreds of years to pass between the birth of a single female. These dry spells are extremely rare, however, and the more accurate representation is to say that roughly one in one thousand eggs is female.

For this reason; female Rikoshi are universally raised in hidden villages protected by a dedicated clan of eunuchs. These eunuchs are also responsible for all communication with possible breeding partners for the females and it is they who determine an individual male’s breeding status. The only females ever seen outside the hidden villages and creche-holds are those determined to be sterile. They alone, among Rikoshi, travel the planets and actively seek out those Rikoshi of sufficient valor to be brought back to the eunuchs for judgement.

Rikoshi are strong and tough, they possess exceptional healing powers and can even regenerate lost limbs, given enough time.

Historically the Rikoshi have not created much of an empire. They prefer to act as mercenaries and warriors in the cause of others. There have been various Rikoshi warlords who have had other views, but by and large the Rikoshi have been a peaceful people.

During the Great War the Rikoshi homeworld was one of the first to fall to the massive military might of the humans and their warforged creations. Due to the lack of central government the Rikoshi never managed to mount an effective military defense and the planet fell under human rule. It became the site of numerous atrocities during the 30 years of human occupation, an event the Rikoshi are still bitter about. Rikoshi resistance units did, ultimately prove vital in the final overthrow of the human Empire.

After the war several factions of Rikoshi believed the humans needed to be eradicated from their world and began a war of genocide against all the humans on their planet. While this genocide was happening the Rikoshi were forming a central government and after its final ratification the new government was forced to strip all military units who participated in the genocide of all their military rank. The highest ranking officers were banished, while the common soldier was merely dishonorably discharged from the military. To those soldiers who were discharged, this has meant a forfeiture of all breeding rights and status within rikoshi culture. Essentially they were branded as cowards among their people.

The Rikoshi world has long, also, been home to runaway Ha’Naa slaves and their freed counterparts. Many Rikoshi see their world not as their own homeworld, but as a shared homeworld with the Ha’Naa.

Stats:

+2 str, +2 con

Medium size

30 ft Speed

Regeneration: Rikoshi heal 2 damage per round as long as they are conscious. This allows them to regrow even missing limbs if given enough time. This healing increases to 4 hp at level 6, 6 HP at level 11 and 8 HP at level 16 They heal this damage at the beginning of their turn.

Regenerative Burst: Rikoshi can increase their healing when necessary, doubling their normal regeneration for a number of rounds equal to their constitution modifier (minimum 1). They may not use this ability again until they have had a long rest.